By Yi Whan-woo
Nuclear dialogue with North Korea may possibly extend to all members of the now-dormant six-party talks after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets leaders of South Korea and the United States, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.
Kim is scheduled to meet President Moon Jae-in on April 27 and U.S. President Donald Trump in May.
“Possibly, there will be a three-way summit among the leaders of the two Koreas and the U.S. following the inter-Korean summit and the Pyongyang-Washington summit,” a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. “And if necessary, such dialogue may expand to the six-party talks.”
The official said joint nuclear negotiations among the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia may be needed as part of efforts “to better guarantee and ensure safety” in coping with Pyongyang's nuclear program.
The official, however, said this should not be taken to mean the Moon government is actively considering restarting the six-party talks suspended in December 2008.
“President Moon Jae-in has mentioned the Seoul-Pyongyang-Washington dialogue up to this moment besides the cross-border talks and the Pyongyang-Washington talks. We can find out whether the six-party talks will be helpful, only after Pyongyang's bilateral summit with Seoul and Washington as well as their joint talks end,” he said.
Cheong Wa Dae's view on nuclear dialogue came a day after Tokyo's Nihon Keizai Shimbun report Kim agreed to return to the six-party talks during his visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping in late March.
The report adds to optimism that the six-party talks are the only viable mechanism to end North Korea's nuclear program peacefully.
Pessimism, however, remains over whether restarting such multilateral negotiations will be effective after the last round of talks collapsed in December 2008.
Launched in 2003, the six-party talks culminated in September 2005 when Pyongyang agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons. But it was later found to be pursuing a uranium enrichment program and subsequently exited the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT).
Since then, Pyongyang has refused to accept Washington's calls to observe its past commitments to dismantle its nuclear program if it wants to continue the negotiations.
Resuming the six-party talks will “require patience,” said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
“It will not be easy to draw a consensus from all parties,” he added.
“Every party has its say as a condition to restart the dialogue. And even if they do, they may face challenges in narrowing gaps over their respective security interests before resolving North Korea's nuclear program.”
Meanwhile, the Cheong Wa Dae official also hinted at possible four-way talks, which will include the two Koreas and the U.S. plus either China, Japan or Russia.
“Russia, Japan and China may want to talk about their roles and stakes. And the decision should be made in a comprehensive manner whether the four-party or six-party talks should be held,” he said.
The presidential official speculated the North Korean leader does not intend to discuss denuclearization on the agenda “right away” when asked about the Nihon Keizai Shimbun's report.
The U.S. remained prudent over Pyongyang's possible return to the six-party talks.
“While we will not comment on our diplomatic discussions, we are focused on ensuring that negotiations lead to concrete steps towards the goal of denuclearization,” said Katina Adams, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. “The international community is unified in our desire to see a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. We are working with our allies and partners to achieve the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the DPRK.”